No Rules

Friday Barnes #4

by R.A. Spratt

What if every clue points in the wrong direction?

Friday Barnes has been deported to Switzerland! With their in-school detective gone, Highcrest Academy has descended into chaos. Someone's fired all the teachers!

The Headmaster claims it wasn't him, and suspicion soon turns to Ian Wainscott, but Friday won't stand by and let her favourite nemesis take the blame. Apart from being innocent (probably), he's seriously good-looking. There's also the problem of the new vice principal and his questionable teaching methods. It's hard to take someone seriously when they wear tie-dyed t-shirts. Can Friday save Ian's scholarship? Can she find the prankster before they bring down the school? Can she run the cross country? She's certainly going to try . . . to do the first two, anyway.

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery Thriller, Detective

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 4, 2016

About the author

R.A. Spratt is an award-winning author and television writer. She lives in Bowral, Australia with her husband and two daughters.

Reviews

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is fourth in a series that you might read out of order. But I highly recommend taking them in order as some of the relationships build over time and I think you'll get much more out of it taking it as written.

So I'm not sure if the shine wore off or if it was just that all the things seemed more far-fetched than usual; like it's sillier and Spratt isn't trying as hard to make it relate to anything "possible". At any rate, the immediate consequence of not being as charmed with this one is that I saw all the broader developments coming from a mile away. So I didn't have that sense of surprised delight of having missed it before the reveal.

Which isn't to say I was bored or that I didn't enjoy it. A bit. It's just that it didn't stack up to the others. Readers actually in the audience this is written for likely wouldn't notice a difference at all as it still has the same structure and things move along at the same semi-episodic pace.

So I'll end this with 3½ stars that I just don't have it in me to round up. Not even for the lovely illustrations Phil Gosier has brought to this, as well as the others.

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘It’s hard enough running this school. Who’s going to figure out all the weird hijinks that go on if Friday isn’t here?’

When Friday returns to Highcrest Academy after sorting out her deportation problem, she finds the school in chaos. All of the teachers have been fired and the students are running amok.

Now there’s a new vice principal, VP Pete, who is fond of tie-dyed clothing and has oddly coloured feet. The school has been threatened with closure and everyone is supposed to be on their best behaviour, only someone didn’t get the memo. As usual, Friday is right in the thick of it.

‘Whenever there’s trouble, you’re right there.’
‘That’s only because you always ask me to fix it for you,’ said Friday.

Of course Melanie, Friday’s best friend, is there to help out when she’s not busy napping. There’s the case of the missing textbooks and the case of the missing furniture to solve. Then there’s the noticeable absence of Friday’s nemesis, Ian, who has been expelled.

‘I’ve solved bank robberies, thwarted smuggling operations and uncovered escaped convicts,’ said Friday. ‘Your problem is well within my skill set.’

Friday’s biggest problem, though? The cross country is coming up and it looks as though she is going to be forced to participate. Despite having a great number of strengths, coordination and athletic ability are not among them. This could be disastrous!

If you’re planning on reading this series, be sure to read them in order. Spoilers for previous books tend to be scattered throughout them.

Also make sure you don’t relax when Friday is told she’s allowed to enjoy some dessert for saving the day once again. That just means the cliffhanger is about to happen.

Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each Friday Barnes mystery involves a greater number of puzzling situation for Friday to solve along with even greater consequences for the main event. The danger is also increasing making for some nail-biting situations. Humorous moments about, too. Really love this series!

[caitie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. It's so light and happy and full of mystery and so much fun to read.
It had me laughing out loud at some points and gasping at others.
I especially love the characters. Melanie is actually me, everything she says is hilarious and brilliant.
Ian is adorable and Friday is so smart and together they're just so cute. SHIP.
Frian is now this shipping name and I've been waiting since the start of this series for the ship to happen and it sure looks like it's happening now.
Also what is Friday going to do with that favor I wonder... *winks suggestively*

Basically I will read anything written by R. A. Spratt because she is amazing.
*Slow clap for the brilliantly funny R. A. Spratt*

[~just one hopeless romantic~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

OKAY OKAY… SO IAN WAINSCOT’S FATHER IS TAKING CUSTODY OF IAN BUT HE’S A DING DANG CRIMINAL!!!!!!???!!!???!!… Take a breath Princess of Paris! Okay so As always I loved the book 📕 and I wish that the series would never end because I’m seriously 😐 so close to finishing the series but I’m also really excited because Friday and Ian are possibly going to fall in love 😻! (Even though they kinda are!) Anyways I really hope y’all love this book and please write good reviews! See ya! Your Friday Barnes addicted lover-Princess of Paris

[Stephanie Ward]

Non-stop action is the name of the game with detective Friday Barnes. In No Rules, the fourth book in the Friday Barnes series, our clever heroine has to save Highcrest Academy from being sold to developers and turned into a golf course. At the same time, she needs to clear the name of her “seriously good-looking” classmate, and key suspect, Ian Wainscott.

Full review posted on CBCA's Reading Time: http://readingtime.com.au/no-rules-fr....

[maria]

yes this is my first proper book of 2024 yes it made me laugh out loud no i am not apologising

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this series a few years ago, and upon discovering that the author had released new Friday Barnes books I decided to reread the series XD It’s still just as good as I remember! If there’s anyone looking for a quick, lighthearted amateur detective series they should definitely give this a go.

[Anna ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was repetitive and I could predict what was going to happen nevertheless it was still enjoyable and was a fantabulous journey throughout the book.

When will Ian and Friday get together?! PLEASE LET IT HAPPEN ALREADY

When will Frian happen?

I recommend this series.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

the line where friendship and mystery meet

[Ashley Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The misadventures continue. This book felt a bit more disjointed than the others, but it was still a fun read aloud.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great mystery by the author R.A. Spratt. The Friday Barnes series remains one of the top best mystery series' for me.
At the end of each book it's like:
Then it ends on a cliff hanger. I'm off to start the next book now.

[Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it so much that I finished it in 2 days
And R.A Spratt will like hearing this”I AM DIEING FROM THE CLIFFHANGER”
I also have read all the books in the series before this one and this is the best one so far!! I hope that she writes mite soon

[Debbie Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This girl continues to delight and entertain.

[Yusra ❥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Halfway through my third re-read still loving it 💖

[Jill Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friday Barnes has been deported to Switzerland because her parents didn't sign her birth certificate.
Would she be able to get her Uncle George to sort out the mix-up or would she force the authorities to realise she was needed at home to solve mysteries? Would she get back to Hillcrest Academy to sort it all out?

All the teachers are fired and the schoolyard becomes a chaotic shambles. The new Vice Principal of the school has introduced a No Rules policy. All the other teachers are sitting in a coffee shop in town. It was one disaster after another for several months. Poison mushrooms in the Beef Stroganoff had most of the school in sickbay. A boy fell down from his balcony. To top off all that the Headmaster had prepared a great example of how good the school was through an orienteering event in the forest. This went horribly wrong because the signs were changed around.

Friday Barnes is great at solving crimes and examining evidence, but not so hot as being friendly or anything but blunt. Luckily her best friend Melanie is good at pointing out to her when she's being obtuse. She's also good at falling asleep and remarking on how romantic Ian is around her. Ian and Friday prefer not to admit anything other than similar academic levels of achievement.

These books are so much fun. Going to boarding school for this eleven-year-old is quite an experience. She has paid for her tutoring nine months in advance by solving crimes. This series is great reading for kids but why should young adults have all the fun when older adults can enjoy these stories too?

[iielxsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Friday Barnes is a bomb book series, even though it's for kids, I love reading it. It's so straightforward and I love that. Really looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

I actually read this book during like reading time in English because our teacher didn't know what class we were meant to go to during naplan exams so everyone just went to the library. We did no work that session we just read for a good hour. I didn't want to waste an hour pretending to read like I usually do in most English free sessions, so I decided to read this book. I ended up reading quite a lot of it and I don't know why I was too embarrassed to check it out and borrow it. Like I had the opportunity to but I decided not too because it's such a childish book. Sooo, I just reserved it from my local library lolz.

Anyway, during the beginning I was reading so quickly but then it got really boring at some point of the book and it was sorta annoying to read but then the ending was pretty good. The cliffhanger will kill me one day though I swear. I was hella sad that Ian got like expelled and that. I thought Friday would work on trying to find him not guilty right away but she only did it at the end. The resolution also felt like really rushed, but nonetheless I still liked it. Solid 3/5.

[IvyZuzu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an exciting one with different mysteries and crimes solved by a special 12 year old - Friday Barnes. As crimes continue appearing, Friday and her best friend, Melanie solve each and every crime with ease. It all started when the teachers received a letter telling them that they were fired. At first, everyone blamed the headmaster, then the suspicion moved to Ian, whom Friday loves. My favourite part is when people don’t believe that a 12 year old can solve such crimes, but Friday solves them in a blink of an eye with logical reasoning. This book would be most suitable for 13-15 year olds as the story is intriguing and the vocab is quite simple. People who love detective and adventurous stories may also enjoy this series.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This time at the start of this story, Friday was being deported back to Switzerland because of the visa problem, I felt bad for Friday because her parent didn't care about Friday and didn't help her apply for anything, even not helping her to fill out forms. I was quite interesting with the fact that Ian's mom, Mrs. Wainscott was currently in a relationship with Friday's Uncle, Uncle Bernie, but I didn't know is this true or not so I needed to read the other books throughout the series to find out is it true or not.

[Fatima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possibly my least favourite of the four I’ve read, but still a wonderful read. The characters are becoming more developed with each book, and the mysteries more complex. I really enjoyed everything about this book. I just think that perhaps my heart wasn’t feeling the middle-grade as it was with the previous three books. But still - really great, really clever, funny, witty. Friday, Ian, and Melanie are just hilarious and adorable. I really love them. The Headmaster was endearing in this one. Really cute. I look forward to continuing the series!

[Carrie D. Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy this series (reading with 11-year old son) but there are SO, SO, SO many typos in the edition I'm reading. I think this is embarrassing and really does this Australian author a great disservice. PLEASE hire a decent editor to do justice to this zany, clever Australian series. Don't let our kids continue to think that correct apostrophes and sentence structures are irrelevant when they read errors like this in print.

[♡ India ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cast of characters is really strong as usual. They're extremely loveable and easy to root for. My biggest complaint is that the stakes are too low, especially since this is a mystery series. Friday figures out all the cases she's set so quickly, it gets boring. I need her to take on a challenging case, one she won't find the answer to in a few hours.

Nonetheless I still enjoy this series and such a good pallet cleanser :))

[Adelaide Van Klaveren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book series! I read them over the summer holidays years ago, since my sister owned the first 8 books, and ever since I've read them over and over again. I fell in love with Friday's personality and nerdy comments, let alone how sisterly and funny Melanie seems, and don't get me started on Ian. It's written well with small details that tie together the whole mystery, making it seem well thought out. Defiantly my favorite book series!

[Stella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Friday Barnes is a detective who loves solving mysteries but her mystery at school is someone fired all the teachers and she doesn't know who. Firstly she suspects her principle and then the vice principal. Then friday gets lost on her school cross country and get badly injured. This book is very intriguing.

[Eugene Rhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book!! Best kids book that I’ve read in a long time. Fun, witty, fantastic vocabulary... can’t rave enough about this book. Good for ages 9 and up. My daughter (and I) crushed the first 4 books in the series in under a week, which was a challenge because we were constantly taking the books from one another (mom also competed for the first 2 books as well).

[It's NKK · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books for young teens or tweens who enjoy mystery and school drama.

Honestly speaking, I may not know too much about the author R.A Spratt, but I know that she's an amazing mystery book writer.

She has some other really amazing series which I have been wanting to read like
Adventures of Nanny Piggins & The Peski Kids

[Cm · Rating 2 out of 5]

In book four the storyline starts to become less interesting in my opinion. It becomes repetitive, and there seems to be more drama, not for the sake of pushing the story forward, but for the sake of keeping readers.

In this specific book there is also an increased mention of adults dealing with anger management issues, and it seems to be trying to normalise this, when this should not be average adult behavior towards children.

[Sean Harding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spratt's Jacks #20
Friday Barnes #4
Book four in the Friday Barnes series and another cracking read, with the overarching plot and the little side plots and mysteries along the way.
Great characters, great humour, great adventure and it is about people you care about.
Perfect fiction.

[Maja Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it, but it was quite confusing at some points.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The latest adventure provides more character development and introduces some interesting minor players.